First off...this is in response to the reviewer below (vietnamlady, 5/10/05) who gave this shampoo a "one" without ever having tried it: please do not use this to ask questions! Email one of the reviewers, or ask on the messageboard. It's hardly fair to ruin this product's near-perfect reviews by giving it a ONE just so that you can figure out where to buy it! 14 out of 15 reviewers who actually tried this gave it a FIVE...the actual rating should be a lot higher (at least a 4.9). Too many people who are browsing through "MUA top picks" will miss out on this jem because your "question" dragged down the ratings!

That said, I absolutely adore this shampoo (and it's matching conditioner). Despite its ensuathastic reception on MUA, I was skeptical: I've tried no less than 20 shampoos and conditioners within the last 3 months looking for my HG products...I have a growing pile of high-end, extensive products in the bottom of my cabinets. I was amazed to find what I'm looking for from the most unusual source. Thank you MUA! I would never have picked up on this if it wasn't for the recommendations. The down side is that this is difficult to find. After calling practically every asian grocery store and salon (half of which didn't speak English), I bought this at Vee's cosmetics and beauty store in San Jose, CA. You can also find this on ebay (sometimes) and online--just do a google search for "shiseido super mild shampoo." I purchased mine for $20 USD for the set, two huge pump bottles of 600 ml each (roughly 21 ounces each). There is a matching intensive treatment conditioner, but I haven't used this yet. This comes in a pink/white bottle (floral/fruity scent) or a blue/white bottle (sporty scent), though the results and ingrediants are pretty much the same.

This shampoo foams very well (I only used one squirt for my long hair)and goes through my hair very easily. I can't read japanese so I have no idea if it builds up or contains silicones, but I do use a clarifying shampoo (Giovanni's triple tea tree treat) once a week. The conditioner is also perfect...it has some detangling effects, but mostly, it softens my hair. The effect of the pair is rather like Redken's all-soft (which costs 3 times as much--I used that for months before switching over), but unlike all-soft, it doesn't weight down my hair as much. I'm still amazed by this product, and will pick up the intensive treatment, as well as stock up as soon as I can. DEFINITELY give this a try if you're disappointed by other products. My hair: long, fairly strong, medium coarseness, straight, (typical "asian" hair). continued >>